In the production of nuclear fuel pins it is disirable to automatically assemble, clean and inspect the fuel pins within an automated fabrication system contained within an airtight enclosure. The airtight fabrication enclosure is preferably operated at a negative pressure of approximately 1 inch water column. Such a nuclear fuel pin fabrication system also uses an approximately pure helium atmosphere which must be maintained in a pure state even though finished fuel pins are intermittently being discharged from the system as finished product.
It is an object of this invention to provide a pin discharge assembly which allows elongate pins to be discharged from a fabrication system operating at below ambient conditions with a minimum of gas inflow into the fabrication system.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a pin discharge assembly which allows gases which may be emitted during discharge of an elongate pin to be contained and safely disposed of without emission into the area into which the elongate pin is being discharged.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pin discharge assembly which is easy to manufacture and to maintain.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.